Larry Harrop photos - and some of my thoughts on inter-cultural sharing.

by pwax
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I did not look closely enough at Larry's album "Western Rhode Island" before. Well worth it, as usual.

You know, as I look at these pictures of wonderful rock piles, many of them quite fresh looking, and then glance at the fragment of topo map Larry includes - where the word "Narragansett" is there plain to see - and when I think about how the Narragansetts are a well established tribe which never lost its cultural identity; and when I think about the statement that there are more rock piles in the corner of RI, MA, and CT than anywhere else; and when I realize this is the Narragansett area; and when I realize that the Narragansetts have shown a great deal of interest in our humble rock piles studies; THEN I start to understand why the piles are fresh down in RI. Also I know who I can ask but will not get an answer from about these rock pile activities.

So why not just tuck the tail between the legs and hurry home, minding my own business? Maybe I should. But we Europeans need to learn to recognize and respect the Indian's scared spots and the Indians won't teach us about them directly. So there is some point in my doing this work. Still further, it is well worth re-discovering the sites around here because they have been lost in a way I suspect the RI sites have not been lost. Even further, I think there are a number of phenomena whose purpose has been lost and these phenomena will not show up in RI. I am guessing these phenomena may no longer be understood by anyone living. So maybe there is some point also to looking carefully at the sites up this way - these sites may have something to teach all of us - not just the Europeans.